Month: May 2015

As you may have noticed in my Q1 2015 Net worth summary, I had a lot of cash sitting around not working for me. With the Alberta housing market looking like it was on a downward spiral, I didn’t want to buy there just yet. So I decided to look into a rental property.

In February 2015 I was looking at mls.ca like I normally do. I have the tendency to surf MLS at least once a month looking at the prices of homes in all of the areas I’ve lived in. It’s only 4 different areas so it doesn’t take that much time. I don’t know why exactly I do this, mostly just from to feed my interest in homes I think.

This one particular time I was looking at places in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. It’s where I’m from and where a lot of friends and family still live. If there were opportunities like there are in Alberta, I would think about moving back, but until that time, it doesn’t fit into my financial plans. Or at least that’s what I thought.Read more

Ever been to Las Vegas?

Indeed I have! It’s one of my favorite destinations for a short weekend trip or something without too much planning. Las Vegas is a great time because it has so much for every type of person. It can be a trip filled with luxuries or it can be a pretty frugal trip with tons of free and cheap entertainment.

So what would you recommend if I’m going to do Las Vegas on a budget?

If you’re looking for a fun time in Las Vegas on a budget I’d suggest a few options like these: If you want to stay on the strip, in my opinion the Linq or Flamingo are probably the best values in terms of location. They’re both older hotels that have had some pretty nice renovations (especially the Linq). They’re both located right in the middle of the strip and boarder a new area called “The Linq” which has the High Roller Ferris wheel that has amazing views of the city and several bars and restaurants they imported from all over the world. If you don’t mind the travel time, there’s plenty of cheaper alternatives up on Freemont Street and off of the Strip.Read more

It’s extremely hard to feel sorry for this couple even as you start to read the article. Sure maybe by the end of the first paragraph you might be thinking Oh no, a new baby on the way and they won’t be able to afford it! Until you get to the second paragraph and realize that they have a combined income of 128,000 dollars a year and that they purchased a 747,000 dollar home just four years earlier. That’s 5.83 times their gross salary!Read more

Should you invest in your employer? They’re already paying your salary in return for your hard work and time. Why would you invest in your employer with your own money that they just paid you? What are the advantages or disadvantages of investing in your employer?

Whoa, let’s slow this down for a minute and maybe start somewhere else…

How can you start investing in your employer?

There are a few different ways you can get started investing in your employer. Below I’ll discuss a few options I’m familiar with and how they work:Read more

I had the opportunity to see Cirque du Soleil’s newest touring show Kurios. I’m a huge fan of Cirque shows and this was my 8th or 9th show I’ve seen, so my opinion of them at this point may be a little bias.

I’m split about half and half on their touring shows and those with permanent residences, most of which are in Las Vegas. One thing I’ve noticed is that the touring acts “Under the Grand Chapiteau” are very similar to those with a permanent residence whereas the arena shows in my opinion just lack that little bit extra in my opinion.

Luckily Kurios is one of those touring acts under the Grand Chapiteau and it’s one of Cirque’s weirdest and most entertaining shows I’ve seen in a few years. Read more

If you haven’t heard already, the new 2015 budget was released last Tuesday April 21st, 2015 and it has a HUGE contribution increase to TFSAs (or Tax Free Savings Accounts, for those not aware of them). We’re talking a 82% increase to our 2015 contribution room. This brings the 2015 contribution room to 10,000 dollars, which is effective immediately!Read more